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Illinois Republican state Rep. Dan Ugaste is speaking out against a “nationwide literacy crisis” that counts Illinois among the more than 40 states where just one out of every three fourth grade students are now meeting reading proficiency standards.

Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress report card shows that in Illinois, just 30% of fourth graders are hitting such standards. In a 2024 national exam, the state's students finished 29th in the country for the percentage of fourth graders at or above proficiency.

“This is a huge problem across the country, but it's a real problem here in Illinois,” Ugaste told The Center Square. "It's my understanding that our 8th graders are doing a bit better. It speaks to the amount of damage that was done when the schools closed during the pandemic. That's when these children would have first been in school and first learning how to read, write and do math.”

With researchers identifying third and fourth grades as being a critical period in a student’s overall academic development, school system critics like Ugaste argue that now more than ever, parents should be allowed to make use of school choice to send their children to the best school for them. Researchers stress such assessments can be early predictors for critical milestones such as future employment and overall earning potential.

Ugaste is urging parents to take immediate action.

“First and foremost, you got to do what you can to help your own kids,” he said. “Start reaching out to your legislators; start reaching out to your school boards, get involved in what's happening in your schools, what they're teaching them, how much time they're spending on things like reading and math versus other subjects. We have to be involved in our kids' education; we have to be involved in our government; we have to be involved in our communities.”

Ugaste said he’d also like to see parents demanding lawmakers in Springfield repeal some of the mandates they’ve enacted, giving local school boards and parents greater control over curriculum.

“Let the communities, the parents and the educators locally decide how much time should be spent on subjects and things of that nature,” he said. “We're trying to dictate from Springfield what they should be learning, how much recess time they should have, and all these other issues. We just need to get out of that arena.”

The legislature allowed the state's only school choice program, Invest in Kids, to expire in 2023. Invest in Kinds was a scholarship program that allowed lower-income families to use tax-credited donations to pay for private schools.

https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_d91c7486-7950-4db0-8004-b1eff240b65c.html